GCC consular services pause

U.S. visa interviews and passport renewals are still largely unavailable across the Gulf Cooperation Council six weeks after Washington pulled non-emergency staff from several posts. (travel.state.gov) The disruptions followed the regional conflict that began on February 28, 2026, and a series of State Department departure orders in early March. Qatar’s travel advisory says non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families were ordered out on March 2, while Saudi Arabia’s mission says its departure order was tightened on March 8 after an initial March 3 authorization. (travel.state.gov) (sa.usembassy.gov) In the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai said routine appointments from March 2 through March 4 were postponed, and a March 26 alert said routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services remained unavailable until further notice. Kuwait’s travel advisory says the U.S. Embassy suspended operations, including routine consular services, on March 5. (ae.usembassy.gov 1) (ae.usembassy.gov 2) (travel.state.gov) That matters because the Gulf is not just a destination region; Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Kuwait City are major processing points for residents, workers, students, and transit travelers trying to reach the United States. The State Department’s visa alerts page says applicants must check each embassy or consulate directly for current processing status. (travel.state.gov) (nbcnews.com) The bottleneck is tied to local suspensions, not a single worldwide passport queue. Travel reporting published April 15 said the Gulf-wide slowdown stems from routine consular services being halted after the March departure orders, with no broad restart timetable announced for most posts. (blog.wego.com) Country by country, the picture is uneven. Qatar says routine consular services are suspended until further notice, Bahrain said on April 9 that routine consular services remain suspended but limited passport and consular report of birth abroad services are available, and Oman said on March 23 that it still offers routine American citizen services, limited immigrant visa services, and emergency non-immigrant visa services. (travel.state.gov) (bh.usembassy.gov) (om.usembassy.gov) Saudi Arabia’s mission says the U.S. government has limited ability to offer emergency services because of safety risks, and Kuwait’s advisory directs Americans needing help to call the State Department rather than rely on the embassy in Kuwait City. In the United Arab Emirates, the embassy said passport help would be arranged once security conditions permit. (sa.usembassy.gov) (travel.state.gov) (ae.usembassy.gov) For travelers, the practical result is simple: routine visa interviews are mostly frozen across the Gulf, Oman is the main exception for limited cases, and applicants have to watch individual embassy notices for any reopening. (blog.wego.com) (travel.state.gov)